Thursday, March 11, 2021

Book Beginnings + Friday 56: The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two.

This week I'm featuring The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance. It's such an emotional, heartbreaking, yet beautiful read. I loved it.

About the Book
The Hazel Wood meets The Astonishing Color of After in this dreamy, atmospheric novel that follows sixteen-year-old Eli as she tries to remember what truly happened the night her mother disappeared off a glacier in Norway under the Northern Lights.

Never whistle at the Northern Lights, the story goes, or they'll sweep down from the sky and carry you away.

Sixteen-year-old Eline Davis knows it's true. She was there ten years ago, on a frozen fjord in Svalbard, Norway, the night her mother whistled at the lights and then vanished.

Now Eli lives an ordinary life with her dad on Cape Cod. But when the Northern Lights are visible over the Cape for just one night, she can't resist the possibility of seeing her mother again. So she whistles—and it works. Her mother appears, with snowy hair, frosty fingertips and a hazy story of where she's been all these years. And she doesn't return alone.

Along with Eli's mother's reappearance come strange, impossible things. Narwhals swimming in Cape Cod Bay, meteorites landing in Eli's yard, and three shadowy princesses with ominous messages. It's all too much, too fast, and Eli pushes her mother away. She disappears again—but this time, she leaves behind a note that will send Eli on a journey across continents, to the northern tip of the world:

Find me where I left you.

Book Beginnings
You're not allowed to be born or to die on Svalbard.

Friday 56
Mormor isn't in her apartment when my dad and I stumble downstairs the next morning, jet-lagged and off-kilter, but there's a steaming loaf of fresh bread on her kitchen table beside a plate of brown cheese. Tucked under the plate is a note:
Help yourselves. Don't share with the newlyweds.

What have you been reading lately?

16 comments:

  1. I did like The Hazel Wood and its sequel, so The Wide Starlight sounds like my kind of book. I'm going to add this one to my TBR list.

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    1. Awesome! I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend! :)

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  2. Looks interesting. Here is mine: https://moretoodiscover.blogspot.com/2021/03/book-spotlight-fridays-ruby-jane-and.html

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    1. It was so good! Thanks for coming by! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. I was instantly drawn in. I couldn't get enough. Thanks for visiting! Happy reading! :)

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  4. This is going on my tbr. Thanks for the introducing me.

    Lauren @ Always Me

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    1. You're so welcome! It's a good one! Thanks for coming by! Have a great weekend! :)

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  5. Sounds fun and I like the cover too! Happy weekend!

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    1. The cover is gorgeous! Thanks for stopping by! Happy weekend to you too! :)

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  6. So is it creepy like The Hazel Wood? I wasn't expecting the amount of darkness in that novel. My quotes are from Fifty Words For Rain

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    1. I haven't read The Hazel Wood yet, but this one wasn't creepy. It was a bit of a bittersweet read about the relationship between mother and daughter. It's hard to describe, but it's magical realism mixed with Norwegian folklore. It was a unique read, for sure. I'd never read anything like it before.

      Thanks for the visit! Happy reading! :)

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  7. That whole thing with Eli's mom and the northern lights is very intriguing. I want to know what happened...and what happens next!

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    1. That's what initially drew me in. I had to know what happened. It was such a fascinating read. Thanks for coming by, Lark! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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  8. This sounds so good! I am glad you loved it. Adding it to my wish list. Have a great weekend, Ashley!

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    1. I was so happy to stumble across this one. It's great. Thanks for coming by! Hope you have a great weekend too! :)

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